On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel

Reading the reviews of this book here, I found a fascinating snapshot of who we are: richly feeling and yet constrained, open and still closed in mind and heart, welcoming and resolutely petty, loving but spiteful. The book itself was, for me, incandescent, soaring to great heights, and crushing, dragging me as reader to terrible depths. In the balance, the book is a paean to beauty in all its forms--and beauty takes shapes that pierce the spirit with both pain and joy. Regarding literary sensibility, for me there are strains of Proust in the seemingly involuntary function of memory. Another reviewer related this to Whitman and I can absolutely understand why. The references to Barthes, Duchamp, etcetera are part of my regular lexicon of references (given my own work) so Vuong's literary allusions felt natural to me, though I could imagine others growing discontent with the exposure to the unfamiliar--when they don't wish to be sidetracked by new ideas. For me that was always a joy in reading a well-read writer (e.g., Eco or Borges). Vuong loves language with a passion; that is obvious. His ardor sings. The tune is a sometimes a dithyramb, often an elegy, occasionally a hymn, and at times a heartbreaking lament. If I were to offer a criticism of faults, there were a few moments of uneveness of quality in parts II and III. But these seemed exceedingly minor to me in the context of the total work. The book is not for everyone. I write that in manner similar to saying that Joyce isn't for everyone. Readers who claim the book is bad because they couldn't understand it, because Vuong doesn't follow a straight line or leave a clear thread in the labyrinth for them to follow are claiming a rather pedestrian criterion for a universal judgment. By that measure, "Finnegans Wake" is a crime against humanity! Here's a thought: "I don't like this sort of writing" is a very different statement from "this is bad writing." The former is wholly understandable and might just be a matter of individual taste. The latter is a declaration of critical finality, the rightful domain of consensus and posterity. And to those who recoiled in homophobic disgust, I beg you to try opening yourself up to the world as others live it. I'm a straight white male, so I share neither the same sexual desires nor experiences of America (or world) as the author, but allowing myself to empathize with the characters Vuong writes only makes the scope of human understanding that much broader for me. To feel like some agenda is being pushed upon one here is less a reflection on author, publisher, or reviewers than upon one's own defense mechanisms and inability to momentarily leave a world that only affirms only a dominant narrative that reflects one's own experiences. The abuse of the narrator and other figures, the violence against animals: these things are horrific and abject, yes. But they are also a part of life. As part of life they are subjects of poetic reflection; life is not all happy songs and roses, why should art be? I remember someone complaining that Goya's "Disasters" were so horrific as to render his art bad, or not art at all. Most of us would find that idea risible, but I see the sentiment repeated here. Turning our backs on brutality is to give it access to us unchecked and unexamined. The violence in "On Earth," never felt gratuitous to me nor aestheticized for the sake of glorifying violence or excusing it. Rather, it seemed to me that Vuong explored the ambivalences of our brutality, our ability to be loving, caring monsters, beautiful and horribly flawed. Anyhow, I loved the book and recommend it if you are looking for a read that with at once enthrall and challenge you. I read it in one sitting, so I can say that Vuong captured something profound and compelling for me, personally. I honestly find it hard to believe how young he is; there is a wealth of experience and reflection here that is seemingly beyond his years. I look forward to his future endeavors.

This was a great and quick read. In total it took me 5 hours to complete this book. This story is a story of an immigrant living and retelling the stories of the immigrants before him such as his mom and grandma. Beautifully written. Loved the portrayal of color. In the beginning of the book, the narrator describes colors to inanimate objects/feelings. As he grows older, other people begin to see him as his own skin color, hence they began to project their understanding of color on to him. Suddenly, color no longer describes an object/feeling but it becomes a weapon that divides people. Color becomes a tool that allows him to be put into a box before ever having the opportunity to give others a chance to know him. Color becomes his identity, as well as the identity of everyone around him. It’s also interesting how trauma affects not only those who lived through traumatic experiences, but also their children who will end up growing up with that trauma. The book has many themes including: • Race • Growing up as an American • Growing up with different cultural identities • Self Identity/Self Discovery • Generational Trauma • Inherited Trauma •Post war affects • Growing up bi racial • Complex parental relationships • Immigrants •Immigrants (due to war) •LGBT Things I disliked: Children having sex: Although the narrator is telling his story, and he is going back in time. I felt highly uncomfortable with the explicit scenes of minors having sex. There was no need to describe certain parts of the body as he did. Simply because of the fact that they were minors when this physical relationship happened. He could have easily mentioned how he felt instead of drawing explicit pictures for his audience. Neutral comment: Parts the story seemed messy, however I personally liked it and I understood it because that’s how my brain works. Making footnotes of footnotes. At the same time, it made sense for the story to be “messy” as he’s writing a letter to his mother. It’s not going to be neat. When you write a letter to your loved ones, many times you’re reminiscing about the old times, and so one memory will turn into another into another into another, and so it gives off the authentic vibes of a letter to someone close to you. You want them to remember the scene that you were at. As many have mentioned, this book isn’t for everyone. Overall, I rate this book 8.0279/10 It’s a great book, easy to read, and it brought me out of my reading hiatus!

This beautiful, lyrical novel is structured as a letter from a son to his mother. Little Dog is the son of a Vietnamese mother who traveled with her mother and sister from Vietnam after the war, settling in Connecticut. The son describes his life to his mother as he grows up, farming in a tobacco field, moving to go to college. This novel has received a lot of praise and I can confirm that it is worth every word. The sentences of this book are simply beautiful, strung together in a song that spans 240 pages. We learn of the life of Little Dog. Immigration and assimilation play huge roles in this story. These are immigrants who fade into the background of American life but play crucial roles in the web of society. The effects of the war in Vietnam echo through generations, from service men who father children then leave, to others who caused so much damage and pain. Another theme is sexuality. The narrator explores a relationship with another boy in this book. Their love is tenuous, complicated, and beautiful. There are truths spoken in this book that I’ve never read in another piece of fiction. Addiction plays a crucial role in the life of the narrator and those around him. We see a community ravaged by pills. I thought this book was incredibly moving and evocative. The whole time I read this book I thought of James Baldwin and how Vuong’s words were as poetic and descriptive as Baldwin’s. Reverberations of his work was confirmed when the author thanked Baldwin first in the acknowledgements. This book might not be for everyone. Some chapters are written as pure poetry. The novel is not linear nor plot driven, focusing on themes and emotion rather than a timeline of events, more like an intricate tapestry or abstract painting. Themes and elements and descriptions are woven together so the emotions are amplified and it really works well. I loved this book and hope many others have a chance to fall in love with it as well. ★★★★★ • Hardcover • Fiction - Literary • Purchased online. ◾︎

A good read until author gets mired in his sexual cowboy adventures.

Great read!

Once in a while I read a book that I know will stay with me for years to come. The prose, as mentioned by other reviewers is beautiful. This is a book which is not easy to read at times, while at other times it is so beautiful I found myself swimming in the words, and images, and feelings. Some have criticized the novel for lacking a plot. I found the fragmented narrative style to be true to trauma narrative. Thus the factured narrative structure of the novel serves the overall impact of the novel As a chaplain who has worked a lot with trauma survivors, I felt Vuong's narratives were true to the experience of extended and multi-generational trauma. The narratives of people who have experienced trauma are often fragmented, not chronological, repetitive, visceral, and revealed layer by layer I feel reduced to adjectives as other reviewers who attempt to review this important novel The writing is raw, sensual, gut-wrenching, sexy, beautiful, over-whelming, frustrating, violent, affirming, hopeful, devastating, visceral, and filled with life and love. The main character of the story struggles to adequately share with his "Ma" his experience of growing up gay, Vietnamese-American, and abused in a society that relagates people in those categories invisible. Vuong does not shy away for the paradoxes, and contradictions. His mother is a nurturer and a monster. Trevor is a lover, a substance abuser, and abusive to the main character. Vuong's narrative is unflinching in it's treatment of the horrific abuse while avoiding devolving into a pity party. Trev is not only a victim of the opioid epidemic. He is also a teenager struggling with his sexuality and how to express his love. I highly recommend On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.

While this story felt disorganized and disconnected at times due to flow style and what felt like missing information, I still really enjoyed it. Ocean’s poetic writing was well done. This felt like sitting down with someone as they tell parts of their life, who then gets a bit distracted on the deeper meanings of life and then returns to the same part they were telling, or goes somewhere else entirely, but ultimately tells the story of their life. It felt authentic despite this not being a memoir. 3.5/4 stars overall.

Although, I agree with some reviews here re trigger warnings being needed, I give this novel 5 stars for poetry, bravery, and innovation of style. Reading explicit sex scenes is hard for me whether by "gay" or "straight" "characters" but I found this an important telling of a personal account and 3 generations of Vietnamese people since the Vietnam war. Yes, it can be triggering, but yes, I stuck with it and I am glad because in the end it was positive and true and that is what every traumatized person needs at the end of an ancestral tunnel of horrific experiences. We do not always have control over our experiences and who we are, and each of us has a unique story to tell, hopefully in a different way than others before us. I feel Ocean Vuong excels in forging a new genre of storytelling, by merging poetry and narration, and not exactly in linear fashion. This story is told like memories come. Memory is flawed and influenced by emotion, and what our loved ones tells us. I have actually relayed an event and realized afterwards it actually happened to my sibling. This character deals with not only memories - of abuse, of love and family, of experiences, but stories relayed in another language by a Mother and Grandmother. The merging of the characters' collective memories with the poetry in a timeline disjointed at times, rang more true to me than any other novel I have read. The author succeeds at the attempt to write from the perspective of and about the experience of trauma, how it's processed, and how it influences one's life and thinking. Is it difficult to read? Yes. Was reading this novel satisfying? I definitely think so. I appreciated the juxtaposition of sometimes brutal honesty with sensitivity on family issues and what is tolerated in love, because in my experience life is difficult and "gorgeous."

Quality of the book looks perfect

An extremely powerful narrative of a Vietnamese boy and his relationship with his mother and grandmother living as expatriates in the USA. Also it portrays a coming of age story set in a rural part of America seen with different lenses and the discovery for his first love for a bitterly sad teenage boy. Writing a letter to his illiterate mother, the narrator reveals all the suffering and complexities that their lives carried away and their struggle for mutual understanding living in a new country. This a debut autobiographical novel by the highly-awarded poet Ocean Vuong who gives us a heartbreaking punch of his experience for being a foreigner in America. The narrative is full of poetry in its poignant fabric of his personal life and reminded me of a great Portuguese writer as well: Valter Hugo Mãe. It was a great pleasure to read such a captivating and intense novel.

Style does not sit with me, but then again I am not a native english speaker.

Such a moving book. Could not put it down.

The travails of migration, always being a stranger in your adopted ‘new land’. Loved this book, rich in story and pathos.